The Untold Truth Of Bikram Yoga

Bikram Yoga, named after Bikram Choudhury, the man who came up with the idea in the early 1970s, is a very specific type of yoga. It is done in a room that is heated to at least 104 degrees Fahrenheit and 40 percent humidity. There are 26 yoga positions and two breathing exercises done in a specific sequence for 90 minutes.

Bikram Yoga has strict rules, not just on the exercises and temperature, but on the yoga studio's rooms themselves. The floor in the Bikram Yoga room must have a carpet on it, which is supposed to help ease joints better than hardwood floors would. Mirrors must be on the front wall. Instructors are supposed to use only the company-approved dialogue for the classes, speaking in headsets. The studios are not allowed to host any other type of yoga. The official rules also say that "No physical contact, hands on corrections or adjustments of students is permitted (with the exception of Bikram)." In addition, the instructors must be certified by Bikram Yoga as well.

It is also not cheap to become a franchise. Entrepreneur magazine said: "Opening a Bikram franchise is expensive, starting with a $10,000 franchise fee. Studio owners are then required to pay a percentage of sales to Choudhury, including a royalty fee of 5 percent of gross revenues and an advertising fund fee that is 2 percent of gross revenues." That's a lot of lucre.

Not only do the official Bikram Yoga franchises have to pay for the privilege of the name, and follow all of the rules, but they can only use teachers who have been certified by Bikram Yoga. And the teacher training is monumentally expensive. Those who want to be certified pay between $12,500 and $16,600 (including lodging for the training) to do so. And they have to get re-certified every three years, paying another $1200 or so.

Another thing that Bikram Choudhury has claimed is that the heat removes toxins. But the idea that all the sweating people do in Bikram Yoga class will sweat out toxins makes no sense. Our liver and kidneys take out the toxins when we use the restroom. Also too much heat and sweating can literally make you sick. Some people have reportedly suffered heat stroke and infections from Bikram Yoga in that heat.

Carol Ewing Garber, a professor in kinesiology, told the New York Times that "if you're sweating profusely, it's very difficult to replenish that fluid" and noted that people don't often recognize "the early signs of heat illness," which include things like nausea, dizziness, vomiting, and headaches, as well as the sweating and the feeling of thirst. And the American Council on Medicine found that participants' core temperatures can go up to over 103 degrees in Bikram Yoga classes. Too hot to handle for many people.

After Baughn's lawsuit, the floodgates opened, with at least six other female students of Choudhury's accusing him of sexual harassment or sexual assault. The New York Times reported that one of the women said that Choudhury "had whispered sexual advances during classes, and had assaulted and groped her in a hotel room and at his home." Another plantiff, Jane Lawler, accused him of repeated instances of sexual assault.

Larissa Anderson, a yoga instructor under his tutelage, told Nightline: "He raped me," saying, "I felt speechless. Because this was my Guru, and I thought of him as a father figure. And he stood up and he grabbed my hand and he sat me down on the couch and he pulled up my skirt and pulled down my underwear, pulled his boxer shorts down, and had sex with me. And I had said no."

In 2016, Minakshi "Miki" Jafa-Bodden, his former legal counsel, won nearly $7 million in a lawsuit against him. She had sued because he reportedly fired her after she tried to investigate other women's claims. She also said that he sexually harassed her. He has denied all the allegations.

One of the untold stories about this scandal is how many Bikram Yoga studio owners, instructors, and students also suffered consequences from Bikram Choudhury's alleged actions, and the way it has tainted Bikram Yoga itself. I spoke with a number of these people for this story. Nicole Stuckey owns Some Like It Hot Yoga & Wellness in Staten Island, NY. She loved Bikram Yoga itself, but was unimpressed with Choudhury. She said she attended teacher training with him in 2011 and paid $12,500 for the training and travel expenses. "I was shocked and appalled by the behavior I witnessed and amount of money I wasted," Stuckey told me.

She said Choudhury "showed up late to lectures, then arrived with an entourage." In addition, "He was so rude and downright nasty to students, calling them names, commenting negatively on physical appearance," she said. He also sat on a pedestal wth air conditioning blowing on him "during our insanely hot classes," Stuckey shared. Classes lasted until 5 a.m., and Stuckey said that she was "told not to talk about training with students" when she returned home.

When she opened her studio three years ago, she had Bikram Yoga in the name but decided to change it after the copyright laws were reversed. In a letter to her students explaining the name change, she wrote, "I couldn't bear the thought of one person feeling uncomfortable about stepping inside this studio because of the allegations."

Yoga student Caileen Kehayas of Los Angeles, CA told me she has been practicing Bikram Yoga for about a year, and has noticed "that studios distance themselves from the name Bikram, calling the 26 asana classes hot yoga instead." Kehayas added that "another studio I visited in Boston received a phone call as I was getting ready for class. The call was criticizing the association with Bikram. The instructor calmly explained that their practice has nothing to do with the man and his misdoings, but rather the practice and well-being of the students."

David Rachford, a yoga teacher in Santa Monica, CA, "used to practice at a Bikram studio," he told me, but "began to feel uneasy about the practice" as the allegations added up. "As the son of a rape survivor, and having known way too many women in my life that have survived sexual assault and harassment, I side with the survivors." he said. He told me he "could no longer associate with the name, or the practice" and "moved on to a power yoga studio."

Minakshi "Micki" Jafa-Bodden, Choudhury's ex-attorney, became the first of his numerous female accusers to win against him in court. In February 2017, The Guardian reported that "a Los Angeles county jury awarded her a total of $6.8 million in damages for a range of charges including unlawful dismissal and sexual harassment."

The same article claims that Choudhury has fled the United States and went back to India. "In December, with Choudhury refusing to return to the US, the judge ordered that the income from his studio franchises and his intellectual property be handed over to Jafa-Bodden." Additionally, his fleet of 40+ exotic cars now appear to be missing in action, most of his studios are closed, and the name Bikram has been forever tarnished. He still faces more lawsuits, too.

Now that Jafa-Bodden owns Bikram Yoga (although that is not immediately clear from the company website) it remains to be seen what will happen to the company's future. She spoke to The Daily Mail, saying, "Bikram is no longer the boss of Bikram Yoga. I am. I've been to hell and back, but the jury has spoken. Bikram has tried to conceal assets and has fled America, but justice will be done."